New US 62/US 641 Tennessee River Bridge to open Nov. 25

The new US 62/US 641
Tennessee River Bridge below Kentucky Dam should be opened to traffic Nov. 25,
the West Kentucky Star reports. US 62 and US 641, which run concurrently
through the area, have been closed at the site since September 9 and traffic
detoured via Interstate 24 as the new bridge approaches were completed and
connected to existing highways.

The highway bridge and a
parallel Paducah & Louisville Railway truss bridge were built by the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers so that highway and rail traffic atop Kentucky Dam
could be moved to make room for construction of a new lock. Rail traffic was
switched to the new crossing on Nov. 22.

Continuing work at a new
railroad overpass will require KY 282/Gilbertsville Road to remain closed to
traffic at mile point 4.869 in Marshall County until about Dec. 7. The closure
between Old Gilbertsville and Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park is to
allow removal of an old railroad overpass at the site.

Moving rail and highway
traffic off the top of Kentucky Dam clears the way for the Corps of Engineers
to bid some of the preliminary work for the new lock in December.

The new bridges were
constructed by American Bridge Co. at a cost of about $100 million each. Jim
Smith Contracting, of Grand Rivers, is the contractor for the bridge approach
work.